With Monkey

With Monkey Fingerless Mittens by Dagmar Mora

Project Overview

With Monkey is an intermediate-level knitting pattern for fingerless mittens inspired by Frida Kahlo's iconic self-portraits featuring exotic animals and traditional Mexican styling. The design references Kahlo's distinctive thick braids and cultural imagery, translating artistic inspiration into a wearable accessory that combines elegance with functional design.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a pair of fingerless mittens designed to fit women's hands in three sizes: Small, Medium, and Large. The mittens feature a mitten circumference above the thumb of 17cm (6¾"), 18cm (7⅛"), or 19.5cm (7⅝") respectively, accommodating hands with a circumference approximately 1cm (½") larger than the finished mitten measurement. Fingerless mittens leave the fingers exposed while providing warmth and coverage to the palm, back of hand, and wrist area.

Techniques and Construction

The mittens are constructed using traditional cable knitting techniques that create visual texture and functional structure. The cable patterns are strategically incorporated to produce a rib effect throughout the mitten body, which serves a practical purpose beyond aesthetics: the ribbed texture naturally molds and conforms to the shape of the hand, ensuring a custom fit for each wearer.

A key design feature involves decreasing stitch counts at specific points. The cuff and top of the mitten use fewer stitches than the main body, creating intentional shaping that provides extra snugness and contributes to the elegant appearance characteristic of well-fitted fingerless mittens. This graduated stitch reduction technique prevents excess fabric bunching while maintaining the structural integrity of the finished piece.

Stitches Used

• Cable stitches – form the primary decorative and functional element, creating raised twisted patterns that provide the rib effect
• Ribbed stitches – created through cable pattern placement to enhance elasticity and fit
• Decreases – strategically placed at the cuff and top sections to shape and refine the mitten silhouette

Materials and Tools

The pattern calls for 1 skein of Luxe B yarn in a 4-ply weight (100g = 400 meters / 437 yards). The photographed example uses the colorway "The Woman From La Casa Azul," a shade selection that reinforces the Frida Kahlo artistic reference. Knitters will also need 1 set of 2.5mm (US 1½) double-pointed needles or appropriate circular needles for working small circumferences in the round, which is the standard construction method for mittens and gloves.

Skill Level

Rated as intermediate difficulty, this pattern assumes knitters have foundational skills including working in the round with double-pointed needles, reading cable charts, executing cable crosses, and managing decreases for shaping. The cable work and fitted construction require attention to stitch placement and pattern consistency, making this suitable for knitters beyond the beginner stage who are ready to incorporate textured stitch patterns into their projects.